


Safety in the Storm

by I_have_a_Mycroft_of_my_very_own



Series: Suilad Aran Thranduil [17]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: so cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-20
Updated: 2014-08-20
Packaged: 2018-02-13 23:28:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2169375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_have_a_Mycroft_of_my_very_own/pseuds/I_have_a_Mycroft_of_my_very_own
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Thunder is merely the sound that lightning makes, it cannot harm you."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safety in the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Is Arenion an elvish name? Don't know. Do I care? Not at all. 
> 
> There was a pretty generic storm happening when I wrote this. But it was like the middle of the night and I was tired and I couldn't sleep, and apparently storms and middle of night and me being really tired are a pretty good bet for me writing cute things? Because this is just one of two cute little oneshots to come from that evening... the other is not actually finished though so IDK when it will come up here. 
> 
> Also, Thranduil playing daddy or favourite uncle to Estel is like a thing I never knew I needed until I wrote this, okay? It has become a favourite thing of mine now. Mhm. So don't be too surprised if more things like this appear. 
> 
> Also, my pseudo-mother owns a daycare center and up until a few years ago I spent a lot of my time there. Being a child who absolutely couldn't sleep without even the smallest bit of noise, storms were like my favourite things as a kid. I used to sleep so well whenever a storm hit. But a lot of the kids at daycare used to get really upset about them when it was nap time and the storm was raging. And it wasn't until one of the older kids sat us all down in the little study where the sound of the rain on the roof was the loudest, and we could look out onto the balcony, and he explained how Thunder was just the sound of Lightning and that you could count how far lightning was by using the thunder, that the other kids became just as fascinated by storms as I was. :)

Thranduil is awoken by the sound of his bedchamber door opening, and little feet pattering on the floor, pausing in the doorway. He blinks, the cloud of sleep clearing from his eyes. He sits up slowly to look at the door, already fairly certain of who stands there, seeing as there is only one child currently residing in his halls.

“What is wrong, Estel?” He asks when his eyes meet terrified grey ones. “Did you have a bad dream?” he asks, the boy nods slowly, and Thranduil blinks, suddenly realizing the boy has yet to cross the threshold of the room. “Come here, penneth, it is too cold for you to be out of bed.” He says softly, holding an arm out to the boy. A smile lights the boy’s face and he scurries over to the bed and jumps up into Thranduil’s lap. Thranduil wraps his arm around the boy and slowly lies down, the boy lying down on his chest, snuggled close. Thranduil pulls the blankets back up and smiles. “Do you want to talk about your dream, little one?” he asks, but the boy shakes his head. “Why did you come to me?” he asks, knowing the boy is usually very terrified of him. The boy wriggles off Thranduil’s chest and snuggles into Thranduil’s side, looking up into the king’s face.

“Ada’s in the healing halls.” He announces as if that explains everything, then he thinks over it a moment and decides to continue. “I couldn’t find the twins, or Legolas. But they always said if there was a storm and I was afraid and you were around I should go to you.” He says softly, Thranduil frowns in worry at the thought of what his son and the elder sons of Elrond were getting up to, before he registers what else the little boy said and he smiles.

“That’s right, penneth. I would have you feel safe in my Halls.” He listens closer and hears the pitter-patter of the rain outside. A rather loud boom of thunder sounds nearby and the little boy jumps. Thranduil gently strokes the boy’s hair. “Fear not, tithen pen, you are safe. The thunder cannot hurt you. Has your ada ever explained to you what the thunder is?” he asks softly, the boy shakes his head. “Thunder is merely the sound that lightning makes, it cannot harm you.” He says, the boy frowns up at him and Thranduil waits for him to ask the question on his mind.

“But the lightning is silent.” The child announces, Thranduil laughs softly at that and shakes his head.

“No, penneth, thunder is the sound that lightning makes, but light travels faster than sound, therefore lightning travels faster than thunder. You can tell how far away lighting is by counting the number of seconds that occur between lighting striking and thunder sounding. If lighting strikes and ten seconds pass between that and the thunder sounding, the lighting is two miles away. If there are 20 seconds between a strike of lightning and the thunder clap the lightning is four miles away from us. To tell, you count the seconds between the strike and the clap and you divide it by five and that is how many miles away from you the lightning is.” Another boom of thunder sounds and an idea strikes him. “Do you want to come see?” he asks, the fear in Estel’s eyes makes him smile softly. “I promise you have nothing to be afraid of. I’ll be with you the entire time.” After a moment of silence, Estel nods his head, Thranduil smiles and scoops the boy up into his arms. He frowns for a moment, when he sees the boy shiver from the cold, and places the boy back on the bed for a moment. “Here, penneth, this will keep you warm.” He says, putting his robe on the little boy, who giggles when the material seems to drown him, Thranduil chuckles softly. “Are you ready?” the boy nods and Thranduil scoops him up again, holding him tight to his chest. “Let us be off then.” He slips out of his rooms and stops when he sees one of his personal guard standing outside his door in the hallway.

“Aran nin.” Arenion calls, frowning. “Is something wrong?”

“No, mellon nin, I hadn’t expected to see you here. In any case. I’m taking the little one up to watch the lightning, we’ll be back in a little while. Please be on the lookout for the Troublesome Trio as they seem to be on the prowl tonight.” He says with a scowl. Arenion laughs and shakes his head.

“Indeed. I sent them scurrying from here a few hours ago. I believe they are causing havoc down in the kitchens.”

“Oh, wonderful.” Thranduil says with a sigh, as he waves his farewell to Arenion. He carries Estel out to a little enclosed observation room that overlooks the Long Lake. He walks over to the railing, Estel holding tightly to him as the sound of the pouring rain drowns out all other noise. There’s a flash of lightning and while Thranduil starts counting out the seconds, Estel hides his face in Thranduil’s chest. The thunder roars and Estel trembles. Thranduil frowns, stepping back out of the room so the rain is not so loud. “Are you alright, Estel?” he asks, the little boy nods, refusing to show his face. Thranduil’s frown deepens. “Are you going to count the lightning with me, little one? The lightning that just struck was three miles away from us. That means that 15 seconds passed between the lightning striking and the thunder sounding.” Slowly Estel peeks out and looks up at Thranduil, curiosity warring with his fear. Thranduil smiles lightly. “You can count the next one with me, if you like.” He says, sitting down on the floor near the observation room with Estel snuggled in his lap. They are far enough away that Estel can hear him speak, but close enough that they will be able to see the lightning strikes.

“It’s so loud.” Estel whispers, leaning back against Thranduil’s chest. He’s close enough that if he listens hard enough he can hear Thranduil’s heart beating. Thranduil laughs and his chest vibrates with it.

“That it is, little one. That it is. However, there is beauty in the storm, it might be terrifying and loud, and a bit of a nuisance, but it is good for nature. The rain waters the trees and the plants, and keeps the forest from catching fire in the summer heat. The forest is always much more alive after a good storm. You’ll get to see that when the storm clears.” Thranduil says, looking at the rain pouring down onto the observation roof. There’s another lightning strike and Estel trembles in Thranduil’s arms, but Thranduil simply starts counting out loud. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.” And the boom sounds on ten and he smiles, when Estel jumps. “Ten seconds away, which means that lightning strike was 2 miles away from us. The human frowns up at him.

“Are you sure we’re safe?” he asks, voice wobbling. Thranduil wraps an arm around him and hugs him close.

“Of course, Estel, nothing will harm you while I am here.” The boys nods and looks out at the rain, when the lightning strikes again, the boy counts the seconds between the strike and the sound with him. “How many seconds was that one, Estel?” he asks softly, the boy beams at him.

“15.” The boy announces happily. Thranduil gives a small nod.

“And how many miles does that mean it is away from us?” the boy’s beam seems to grow wider, if that’s possible.

“Three!” He says, eyes shining with excitement.

“That’s right. That’s exactly right.” They sit and watch the rain, and they count the seconds between each strike of lightning and its corresponding clap of thunder, until Estel drifts to sleep in Thranduil’s lap, and Thranduil carries him off to bed.

\--

It is three months later, Elrond and his sons having returned to Rivendell, when Estel is woken from his slumber by a particularly loud clap of thunder outside his window. Fear grips his heart for a moment until he remembers what Thranduil told him.

_“Thunder is merely the sound that lightning makes, it cannot harm you.”_

Estel takes a breath in and tries to calm his racing heart.

_“You can tell how far away lightning is by counting the number of seconds that occur between lighting striking and thunder sounding… To tell, you count the seconds between the strike and the clap and you divide it by five and that is how many miles away from you the lightning is.”_

Estel drapes himself in his blanket and wanders over to his window, he sits on the sill and looks out into the rain. When lightning strikes a few moments later, he counts the seconds and smiles when the thunder sounds. 20 seconds. The lightning is 4 miles away from him. He gets comfortable on the windowsill and counts out the seconds between each flash of lightning and its corresponding clap of thunder. And he’s still there when Elrond comes to check on him two hours later.

Estel stirs slightly at the sound of his door opening, he turns and smiles at his father who frowns at him.

“Ion nin, what are you doing? Are you alright?” he asks, worried his son had not sought him out like he usually does when a storm hits.

“I’m fine, ada.” The boy announces, turning back to the window. “I’m seeing how far away from me the lightning is.” He says happily, lightning strikes a second later and he counts, when the thunder booms ten seconds later, he spins and beams at his father. “Ada. That lightning strike was two miles away from us.” He exclaims proudly and turns back to the window.

“You’re not afraid of the thunder anymore, Estel?” Elrond asks, confused. Estel shakes his head, smiling, but he does not look away from the window.

“No. Thranduil taught me how to tell how far away the lightning is, and he said that thunder is nothing more than the sound that lightning makes. It can’t actually hurt me, and that while the storms are loud and annoying, and a little bit frightening, they’re really good for nature, and they keep the forests from burning during the summer.” He sighs happily and starts his counting when another strike occurs. Elrond looks on perplexed.

“You are sure you are alright, Estel?” he asks, the little boy nods. Elrond frowns. “Alright, I’m going back to bed now, Estel, if you need me, you know where to find me.” He says, turning to leave.

“That lightning strike was three miles away. Sleep well, adar.” The boy says, not looking up from his counting.

Elrond returns to his bed, confused yet somewhat relieved that Estel has finally overcome his fear of storms. When the morning comes, bright and sunny, he sits down and writes a very long letter of thanks to the king of Mirkwood. Reply comes in the form of Legolas, who states that he’s been banned from the forest of his home until his stress levels recede enough that he stops giving everyone sad looks whenever he speaks with them. Elrond thinks he can handle that. Elrond thinks he can handle that quite easily.


End file.
